Lecture Summary of Ancient Philosophy with Multiple Choice Test

07.09.22 Lecture 1 History of ancient philosophy


Historical overview:




Presocratics:

Ancient Greek and roman philosophy 600BCE – 600AD
There are no writings from the presocratic-Aristoteles presents
He often mixes presentation with criticism
But also, the thoughts of Aristotle were transferred many times bc of the material they were written on, some are
lost

Thales(early6thcent. BC)
Anaximander(6thcent. BC)
Anaximenes(6thcent. BC)
Xenophanes(6th–5thcent. BC)
Pythagoras(6th–5thcent. BC)
Heraclitus(6th–5thcent. BC)


Summary:
 new ‘kind of investigation’ -> (natural) philosophy
 search for the principle (archai)
 several ideas on how to turn one principle into several things but not on the why question,
beyond mere materiality
 change one principle into several things by means of contraries like condensation, hot and
coldness
 attention to change and motion
 Ionian natural philosophy vs. Eleatic metaphysics


Archai (pl. (Archè sg.))

 the beginning first principle of the world in ancient Greek philosophy.
 The answer to ‘of which’, ‘in which’, ‘from which’
 Building blocks




Thales (ap. 500BCE) (first philosopher according to Aristotel)